Denver women’s soccer team breaks ground on delayed stadium
Construction for the permanent home of Denver Summit FC is underway. The team broke ground Thursday on a 13,000-seat stadium at Santa Fe Yards, located off Interstate 25 and Santa Fe Drive south of downtown Denver.
When the Summit ownership group was awarded the expansion team in 2025, they agreed to build a dedicated stadium in time for the 2028 National Women’s Soccer League season. But delays over City Council approvals and the sale of the land have pushed back the construction timeline.
The team now expects the stadium, at the site of the former Gates Rubber Co. factory, to be finished by 2028 and ready for the 2029 season, which starts in March.
“This is a demonstration to the world about how to invest in women and how to invest in professional women’s sports, and hopefully it will become the standard that happens from here forward,” Summit controlling owner Rob Cohen said at the groundbreaking.
Originally announced as a 14,500-seat stadium, the venue is being reduced to a fixed seating capacity of 12,500, with standing-room-only areas bringing total capacity to 13,000. The capacity was adjusted to prioritize fan experience, atmosphere and accessibility, according to a news release Tuesday.
“The revised footprint allocates additional space for open-air social gathering zones, intimate fan seating, and local food and beverage spaces,” the release said.
The team plans for $150 million to $200 million in private investment to pour into the venue. The 14-acre site will also feature a sports and entertainment district with a hotel, residences and retail offerings planned.
The Summit asked the public to pitch in a total of $70 million for the project. In December, the City Council approved spending $50 million in interest from the Elevate Denver Bond Program, a voter approved initiative, toward the purchase of land and on-site infrastructure upgrades. During that process, the team threatened to leave the city after a City Council committee delayed a key vote by several weeks, citing its 2028 mandate.
The team originally intended to close on the land deal by the end of 2025 to begin stadium development by the first quarter of 2026. That deal was further delayed by a Colorado Department of Transportation easement on 80,000 square feet at I-25 and Broadway, where the stadium will sit. That easement was lifted and the land was officially acquired on March 27.
While the city provided the funding, the land is owned by the Broadway Station Metropolitan District, which is leasing the land to the Summit. BSMD is a quasipublic entity designed to access bond funding for the site.
The city has also agreed to spend an additional $20 million on off-site improvements at a later date. Those include widening Santa Fe Drive, improvements to Vanderbilt Park and building an additional pedestrian bridge on the property to reach the I-25 and Broadway light-rail station.
The city approved a $5.3 million grant agreement with the state to finance the design of the pedestrian bridge in August. That project is expected to cost up to $23 million and be completed by 2030.
The Summit will play at their temporary 12,000-seat stadium in Centennial until the permanent venue opens. The temporary stadium debuted in July after delays of its own.
